Different experiences, but a shared environment. How businesses can build supportive communication

02/ 10/ 2026

Listen to online Stop   How can we communicate with people with different experiences of the war and build a supportive working environment? These questions were discussed on 29 September at a joint event organised by the Working Group on Veterans’ Practices and Policies of the ESG Committee and the Marketing and Communications Committee of the European Business Association, in partnership with the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War — “SEE THE PERSON BEHIND THE WORDS. How Businesses Can Communicate with People with Different Experiences of the War”.Supportive communication begins with understanding. Rostyslav “Manfred”, a psychologist with the psychological support unit of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine, focused on how to establish communication between civilians and military personnel so that both experiences can coexist without diminishing one another. The speaker emphasised that adaptation must be a two-way process: it is not only the veteran who returns to the team, but the team, managers and HR professionals must also be prepared to work with someone who has military experience. A safe and predictable environment, respect and acceptance are the basic conditions for such interaction.During the panel discussion “A Supportive Environment in Practice”, moderated by Ruslan Khalikov, a representative of the 1st Corps “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine and a publishing house owner, participants discussed how companies can create an environment in which people with military experience can return to work and develop professionally. Anastasiia Shevchenko, General Manager of Global HR Solutions and LHH Group Country Manager for Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, drew attention to the changing perception of the employer brand during wartime. When external danger has become part of everyday life, companies need to create a sense of safety for employees and demonstrate responsibility for their people. A safe environment means concrete actions: clear rules, honest communication, support for military personnel and veterans, flexibility and a willingness to be there in difficult situations. This is how a trusted employer is built. Nataliia Movchan, ESG Projects Communications Manager at EPAM Ukraine, noted that people with military experience should be directly involved in developing adaptation programmes. They are best placed to help understand the needs of those for whom such programmes are designed. She identified catching up on professional losses and further training as the main needs raised by veteran colleagues with the company. Alona Rubanets, HRD at Metinvest Digital, emphasised that every person’s experience is different, making it difficult to develop a universal approach to veteran integration. At the same time, trust, consistency and respect should form the common foundation. These principles help create an environment where person-to-person interaction becomes part of successful integration. It is therefore important that programmes adapt to people’s realities and needs. Participants also discussed supportive communication in an educational environment. Serhii Shylo, First Vice-Rector of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, spoke about the transformation of the educational process during the war and the need to take into account the experiences of students, military personnel and internally displaced people while ensuring the physical safety of education. Danylo Shcherbakov, Founder and Chair of the Board of the NGO HELPER UKRAINE, spoke about the language of respect — how to talk about someone else’s experience in a way that makes the person feel valued, rather than merely treated as a source of information or a news opportunity. Respect should be equally present in how military and civilian experiences are approached. The programme concluded with a keynote speech by Iryna Uzhakova, Head of Cultural Rehabilitation and Accessibility at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. She presented the key principles of a trauma-informed approach: safety, trust and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, voice and choice, as well as consideration of cultural, historical and gender aspects. Ultimately, the discussion came down to a simple but important idea: behind words, roles and experiences, we need to see the person. This is the foundation on which communication should be built — communication that provides support rather than creating additional barriers in business, education and society as a whole. Thank you to all the speakers and participants for the open discussion, and to Morshynska for supporting the event!

How can we communicate with people with different experiences of the war and build a supportive working environment? These questions were discussed on 29 September at a joint event organised by the Working Group on Veterans’ Practices and Policies of the ESG Committee and the Marketing and Communications Committee of the European Business Association, in partnership with the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War — “SEE THE PERSON BEHIND THE WORDS. How Businesses Can Communicate with People with Different Experiences of the War”.Supportive communication begins with understanding. Rostyslav “Manfred”, a psychologist with the psychological support unit of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine, focused on how to establish communication between civilians and military personnel so that both experiences can coexist without diminishing one another. The speaker emphasised that adaptation must be a two-way process: it is not only the veteran who returns to the team, but the team, managers and HR professionals must also be prepared to work with someone who has military experience. A safe and predictable environment, respect and acceptance are the basic conditions for such interaction.During the panel discussion “A Supportive Environment in Practice”, moderated by Ruslan Khalikov, a representative of the 1st Corps “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine and a publishing house owner, participants discussed how companies can create an environment in which people with military experience can return to work and develop professionally.

Anastasiia Shevchenko, General Manager of Global HR Solutions and LHH Group Country Manager for Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, drew attention to the changing perception of the employer brand during wartime. When external danger has become part of everyday life, companies need to create a sense of safety for employees and demonstrate responsibility for their people. A safe environment means concrete actions: clear rules, honest communication, support for military personnel and veterans, flexibility and a willingness to be there in difficult situations. This is how a trusted employer is built.

Nataliia Movchan, ESG Projects Communications Manager at EPAM Ukraine, noted that people with military experience should be directly involved in developing adaptation programmes. They are best placed to help understand the needs of those for whom such programmes are designed. She identified catching up on professional losses and further training as the main needs raised by veteran colleagues with the company.

Alona Rubanets, HRD at Metinvest Digital, emphasised that every person’s experience is different, making it difficult to develop a universal approach to veteran integration. At the same time, trust, consistency and respect should form the common foundation. These principles help create an environment where person-to-person interaction becomes part of successful integration. It is therefore important that programmes adapt to people’s realities and needs.

Participants also discussed supportive communication in an educational environment. Serhii Shylo, First Vice-Rector of Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, spoke about the transformation of the educational process during the war and the need to take into account the experiences of students, military personnel and internally displaced people while ensuring the physical safety of education.

Danylo Shcherbakov, Founder and Chair of the Board of the NGO HELPER UKRAINE, spoke about the language of respect — how to talk about someone else’s experience in a way that makes the person feel valued, rather than merely treated as a source of information or a news opportunity. Respect should be equally present in how military and civilian experiences are approached.

The programme concluded with a keynote speech by Iryna Uzhakova, Head of Cultural Rehabilitation and Accessibility at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. She presented the key principles of a trauma-informed approach: safety, trust and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, voice and choice, as well as consideration of cultural, historical and gender aspects.

Ultimately, the discussion came down to a simple but important idea: behind words, roles and experiences, we need to see the person. This is the foundation on which communication should be built — communication that provides support rather than creating additional barriers in business, education and society as a whole.

Thank you to all the speakers and participants for the open discussion, and to Morshynska for supporting the event!